A Room With a View - 1985. Ivory/Merchant production based on E M Forster's 1908 novel. Judy Dench, Maggie Smith, DDL.
Romantic drama spread across Florence and London. Eight Oscar nominations, won 3.
Helena Bonham Carter plays a young girl in a repressive environment (Maggie Smith always watching over her and controlling her), falling in love with another English boy in Florence.

Enjoyed it. Wanted it to continue and see how their lives played out. Reminiscent of movies i saw as a kid of what once happened in India (such as Mother India), a different sort of exploitation of the poor by landowners and moneylenders.

Have not yet had time to find out what eventually happened to these people who migrated from Oklahoma to California.

Won academy award for Best DIrector (Ford) and Best Supporting Actress (Darwell). Five nominations.

Sentinel, you might like Witness to Murder, it's like a low rent Rear window(actually came out the same year) with Barbara stanwyck in the jimmy Stewart role and George sanders in the Raymond Burr role.

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Saw Witness to Murder last night. 1954. Yes, I liked it, although the ending could have been better. I wish they had linked the murder better than just finding a book. I could not help thinking that in today's time, if the cops asked a person to forget about a murder, or say that she had dreamt it, it would clearly be that they had been bribed to close the case.
I was expecting the detective to somehow crack the case, but it ended rather suddenly and conveniently. In that respect, Dial M for Murder was more satisfying, but this one had it's moments, too.

I remember George Sanders from the Rebecca role as a baddie, and also All About Eve (iirc). Always speaks with a very refined Brit accent. Barbara Stanwyck - seen quite a few of her movies recently ... Meet John Doe, Stella Dallas and this one.

I finally watched "Girl Interrupted", a 1999 film. It was OK. Not great, just OK.

I don't understand all the critical and audience acclaim though. To me it was just like a "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" for girls, except the main character instead of being fascinating, quirky, rebellious, and full of life, is just a lame confused girl. And the Angelina Jollie character was disgusting. Easily one of the most unsympathetic characters I've seen lately. I was surprised that she won the Oscar for it, because although she played it well, it was not a very likeable character.

One of the only good things I got from this movie is to realize (again) that Wynona Ryder is more beautiful than Angelina Jollie, but that she doesn't "work it". Also, it was funny when Wynona Ryder had a voice-over monologue in the beginning of the movie and said something like "Maybe you like to steal things even if you can buy them". LOL!!!!! (For those who don't know, a few years after the movie, Wynona Ryder was caught stealing some high priced clothes in a designer boutique and she had to go to jail or do community service).

Saw Mistress America, from previews I was expecting a sort of pretentious, pseudo-sophisticated, "artsy"film, but after about ten minutes I was won over. Had some funny moments and some realistically smart dialogue. On the other hand, we also saw Diary of a Teenage Girl, and it was a big drag of a movie- no likable ( or relatable) characters- nothing to really care about.

Some good ones mentioned here since my last contribution, though I can't say I share the same enthusiasm for Polanski's Chinatown. I tend to think Repulsion is better, or at least his most disturbing, with the possible exception of his underrated Bitter Moon. (I'm somewhat ashamed to confess that I've yet to see Rosemary's Baby.) Catherine Deneuve's turn as a sexually repressed ingenue whose madness slowly manifests itself is not to be missed. (It probably wasn't by Bunuel, who cast her in his equally discomfiting Belle du jour.)

Speaking of whom I saw Polanski's Tess recently, based on Hardy's eponymous novel. Rather tame, partly the director's fault but due in large part to Nastassja Kinski who simply wasn't ready for the title role (a far cry from her mature self who turns in a much more successful performance in Wenders' Paris, Texas). Both the novel and the film attempt to portray a girl on the cusp of womanhood who is not only oppressed by social conventions and self-centered men but also by her own passions and impulses, but Kinski's heroine comes across as a cardboard figure completely lacking in the latter and only occasionally affected by the former. Of course Colin MacCabe in his Criterion liner notes argues that the movie is "stronger" than the source. Nice try, but cinematic adaptations of literary classics that merit such a bold comparison are exceedingly rare and this ain't one of them.

A couple more recent viewings:

Lars and the Real Girl (2007) by Craig Gillespie. Its premise is so outrageous and cringe-inducing I won't spoil it here (without it the movie simply falls apart), and I suppose there's something laudatory about a film that asks us to look willful ignorance directly in the eye rather than cloak it in sugary nostalgia and disingenuous disinterestedness a la Forrest Gump, but much of it will depend on your willingness to suspend belief and picture the improbable in probable terms. It didn't quite do it for me, though the ignorance on display here is of a much gentler kind and Ryan Gosling is excellent as the mentally and emotionally impoverished title character.

The 47 Ronin (1941/42) by Mizoguchi. All the Mizoguchi trademarks are here: masterful long takes, lack of close-ups, righteous condemnation coupled with noble sacrifice (this being a Mizoguchi film a female character often absent from the story joins in the bloodbath). Not on par with Ugetsu, let alone Sansho the Bailiff and The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums, but compare this to the infantile revenge fantasies of Tarantino that serve as "rewritten history" these days and you'll see that "oldies but goodies" isn't always an idle cliche.

The Earrings of Madame de ... - (1953). Charles Boyer, Danielle Darrieux and Vittorio De Sica. Directed by Max Ophüls.

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One of my desert-island movies. Not the most profound plot, but as I like to say, perhaps the best-looking couple in cinema and also the best line in movie history ("Our marriage is superficially superficial") which manages to amuse, admonish and aggrieve at the same time. Probably second only to Children of Paradise among my French favorites (though Renoir's The Golden Coach comes close). Hope you enjoyed it.

A Room With a View - 1985. Ivory/Merchant production based on E M Forster's 1908 novel. Judy Dench, Maggie Smith, DDL.
Romantic drama spread across Florence and London. Eight Oscar nominations, won 3.
Helena Bonham Carter plays a young girl in a repressive environment (Maggie Smith always watching over her and controlling her), falling in love with another English boy in Florence.

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Like most Merchant-Ivory productions this one doesn't really rise above Masterpiece Theatre as a period piece. Not even the stellar cast can save it from mediocrity.

Sentinel, what did you think of The Earrings of? Ophuls made some great ones.

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He sure did. Heck, I'm even partial to his much-maligned valedictory Lola Montes, which admittedly is a mess but a fascinating mess still and also a most admirable way to bow out. There aren't many instances of auteurs in their last days refusing to slow down and instead putting together what may well be their most ambitious and/or uncompromising work yet. Off the top of my head I can only think of Vigo's L'Atalante, Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible, Part II (the only movie of his I care for, but also one of my faves), Bresson's L'Argent and Satoshi Kon's Paprika.

Sentinel, if you like "To have and have not" (or maybe even more so if you didn't) you should check out The Breaking Point starring John Garfield. It was an adaptation of the same novel, but more faithful. I think it's pretty great.

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The Breaking Point (1950) - John Garfield. I think I preferred the Bogart version of this movie (more interesting story and none of the whole family thing). I haven't read the novel, and since I was aware this was another adaptation, I kept comparing the two. Perhaps, had I not known, I would have appreciated it on it's own merit. Garfield gave a good performance. The end (little boy) was touching, not something I am used to seeing in old Hollywood productions.

From what i can recall, the 1944 Bogart-Bacall version focussed more on the adventure (the French Resistance thing) and perhaps on the Bogart Bacall relationship, whereas in the '50 version, the Chinese immigrant story is weak, but this one focussed more on his relationship with his wife.

The characters of the Assistant (Walter Brennan) was developed more in the '44 version than this one, and iirc so were some other characters.

Can't recall if I've ever seen all of this one. Remember some girl in high school who was a Depp fan, although I asked her if she had seen this or The Ninth Gate which I had recently watched at the time. Not as big a fan as I thought. His new flick, Black Mass, looks interesting. Might have to venture out to theaters to go see that one.

As for me. Watching the original Total Recall again. Always been an Arnold fan

Saw Nebraska. It was about a son who (sort of) rises above the miserable world and miserable people he is surrounded by and tries to do the (sort of) right thing for his (sort of) senile father. Basically, the experience barely rose above listining to someone describe their hernia operation- for an hour and a half.

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LOL, you've obviously not had to deal with a patient of dementia. I loved Nebraska and would love to see it again. Perhaps, you've never seen people in their old age, i am beginning to wonder, if you dismiss them as "miserable". The film was about a person who is in the early stages of dementia. If you did not like this, i certainly would not recommend Still Alice, or Iron Lady, or Away from Her, or Marvin's Room, or Osage County.

@NonP, thanks for your recommendations ... My Life as a Dog, and Children of Paradise.

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Anytime. I think you'll like My Life as a Dog very much. As I said on the Kubrick thread it's got a little bit of everything and more you expect in a "children's film": youthful curiosity, first brush with mortality, sexual awakening, Dickensian eccentrics, you name it. And the sum is even greater than its parts--you'll be hard-pressed to find a more charming coming-of-age tale in cinema. I'm by no means a fan of Hallstrom, the director of such middling commercial works as The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, but he really topped himself in this one.

And Children of Paradise may well be the most romantic movie ever. On paper it is a love pentagon with the elusive Garance (played by Arletty*, frankly a hair too old for the role but still resplendent) at the center pursued by four different men. Beneath the surface it is an elaborate metaphor for the links between life and theater (the "paradis" in French is the colloquial term for the theater gallery/second balcony where the commoners would be seated) and also for the varieties of love represented by the heroine's relationships with each of the suitors. In most hands such an ambitious conceit would come across as pretentious pablum masquerading as art (quite literally in this case--the character of Baptiste, Garance's true love, is based on Jean-Gaspard Deburau, probably the most famous Pierrot in the history of commedia dell'arte), especially given its extremely trying production history, but Carne and his frequent collaborator Prevert (a respected poet in his own right whose "Les Feuilles mortes" served as lyrics to the perennial favorite "Autumn Leaves") turn it into something quite magical. Absolutely not to be missed.

*My favorite Arletty quote, after she was caught in flagrante delicto with a Luftwaffe officer during the Occupation: "My heart is French but my ass is international."

P.S. I forgot to tell you that I did notice I was tagged in a post of yours on the "Useless information" thread. I actually couldn't see my name there and had read about Calvino's movie writing earlier on the Criterion website, but thanks for the shout-out anyway.

As you may recall F&A is actually one of the few Bergman movies I care for and I've long maintained that Bishop Vergerus is the creepiest villain he ever created (and certainly one of the most memorable ever), but I can't agree that it belongs alongside The Spirit of the Beehive and My Life as a Dog as among the best "children's films." Despite its billing the typical Bergman obsessions are still there: infantility of men, incompatibility of relationships, of course all set in a upper-class milieu (this is among his most autobiographical works). And while Bergman largely shields the kids from the adult world he fails to make us care why this is even necessary, because the world inhabited by the children doesn't seem to be teeming with the kind of innocent joy and wonder that would justify such demarcation, and which Erice's film manages to retain despite its gloomy setting. In short Bergman's or F&A's at any rate is a rather barren childhood, not the kind that allows you to become children in its imaginative world (to quote Virginia Woolf's verdict on the Alice books).

The Breaking Point (1950) - John Garfield. I think I preferred the Bogart version of this movie (more interesting story and none of the whole family thing). I haven't read the novel, and since I was aware this was another adaptation, I kept comparing the two. Perhaps, had I not known, I would have appreciated it on it's own merit. Garfield gave a good performance. The end (little boy) was touching, not something I am used to seeing in old Hollywood productions

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glad you found a copy! I like both films, and as you say both pretty different. I guess I prefer Breaking Point because its more of a downbeat drama, than light adventure like To Have. and that last scene was just heartbreaking. what did you think of Patricia Neal? great actress with a great career. I'm a big Stanwyck fan and film noir fan, if you'd like any recommendations.

I'm a big Stanwyck fan and film noir fan, if you'd like any recommendations.

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Something I've suspected for years, good to see it confirmed firsthand.

I'm nowhere near as conversant with noir as you are, but can say an overlooked yet worthwhile Stanwyck movie is The Strange Case of Martha Ivers (also with Kirk Douglas in his film debut). Another noir gem that deserves more recognition is Lang's Scarlet Street, starring Edward G. Robinson in one of his best roles. And of course, though it's not exactly overlooked and not exactly noir either there's also M, Lang's masterpiece (with the only possible exception of Metropolis) and easily one of the spookiest and most disturbing movies ever made.

glad you found a copy! I like both films, and as you say both pretty different. I guess I prefer Breaking Point because its more of a downbeat drama, than light adventure like To Have. and that last scene was just heartbreaking. what did you think of Patricia Neal? great actress with a great career. I'm a big Stanwyck fan and film noir fan, if you'd like any recommendations.

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Recommendations for film noir are always welcome. I've just seen a bunch of Stanwyck movies recently, about 5 maybe. I found a torrent of The Breaking Point with a lot of difficulty, and it took almost 10 days to download !
Patricia Neal's was another good performance. I've seen her in The Day the Earth .... and Hud. And Tiffany's.

P.S. I forgot to tell you that I did notice I was tagged in a post of yours on the "Useless information" thread. I actually couldn't see my name there and had read about Calvino's movie writing earlier on the Criterion website, but thanks for the shout-out anyway.

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I did what i call a "silent tag" Tagged you (thinking you might be interested) and then removed the tag in edit mode.

I've got hold of My Life as a Dog and Children of Paradise and should be seeing them sometime this week. Thanks.

As you may recall F&A is actually one of the few Bergman movies I care for and I've long maintained that Bishop Vergerus is the creepiest villain he ever created (and certainly one of the most memorable ever), but I can't agree that it belongs alongside The Spirit of the Beehive and My Life as a Dog as among the best "children's films." Despite its billing the typical Bergman obsessions are still there: infantility of men, incompatibility of relationships, of course all set in a upper-class milieu (this is among his most autobiographical works). And while Bergman largely shields the kids from the adult world he fails to make us care why this is even necessary, because the world inhabited by the children doesn't seem to be teeming with the kind of innocent joy and wonder that would justify such demarcation, and which Erice's film manages to retain despite its gloomy setting. In short Bergman's or F&A's at any rate is a rather barren childhood, not the kind that allows you to become children in its imaginative world (to quote Virginia Woolf's verdict on the Alice books).

Can't recall if I've ever seen all of this one. Remember some girl in high school who was a Depp fan, although I asked her if she had seen this or The Ninth Gate which I had recently watched at the time. Not as big a fan as I thought. His new flick, Black Mass, looks interesting. Might have to venture out to theaters to go see that one.

As for me. Watching the original Total Recall again. Always been an Arnold fan

Au revoir les enfants - 1987, autobiographical work by Louis Malle. (French). Beautiful and touching, this movie is about a day in the director's life that he could not forget (back in 1944) (and the events leading to it). About a small reflexive action that had tragic consequences for someone dear to him.

"More than 40 years have passed, but I'll remember every second of that January morning until the day I die..."

Almost through the whole James Bond collection.... My GF just happens to be a huge Bond fan and she went berserk when she heard that I hadn't seen them all, but there are worse punishments I suppose haha

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) - Spanish film, set in 1940, just after the civil war. Delectable.

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Thank you for the recommendation, Senti. I just watched it yesterday.

I have to agree on your qualification. This movie reminded me so much of the work of Terrence Malick, it's really uncanny. So much so, that I searched in Wikipedia to see whether Badlands (Malick's first film) was released before or after Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive, to see if there had been some influence. Guess what? Amazingly enough, they were released within a few weeks of each other! The Spirit of the Beehive premiered in the United States in late September (and in Spain in early October), and Badlands premiered in the USA in early October. The chances of such uniquely similar movies being released so close to each other are not too high, but there you have it.

Really beautiful cinematography. Sparse dialog, Drawn out scenes. Coming of age (but actually more like "loss of innocence") being the main theme. These are all common links between both movies.

Regarding Terrence Malick and Victor Erice, they also seem to have had a remarkably similar trajectory as directors (highly appreciated especially by critics, but with a very reduced output). I think Malick has made so far 4 films in his career, and Erice 3.